


Caffeinated Heartbeats

by iblamethenubbins



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, But mostly fluff, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, a lot of flirting, and a smidgen of angst, it's so sweet it might give you cavities, supercat, there's also a carnival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 04:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7921156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iblamethenubbins/pseuds/iblamethenubbins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Kara is the barista at Cat's favorite café and Cat ends up getting more than her daily latte fix.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Caffeinated Heartbeats

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to Zoethart for her invaluable insights and suggestions that helped make this fic so much better than it originally was. And for her encouragement and support and simply for being there. I'm so grateful to have her :)

On Monday, after a week of getting tasteless and lukewarm lattes from her obviously incompetent new assistant, Cat Grant decides that she’s much better off getting her own coffee.

Also, she needs to get a new assistant.

She asks the driver to leave her outside the park around the corner from CatCo and heads to the little kiosk in the middle of it. It’s normally her go-to café on Sundays but today she really needs to get a good fix and this is the only place that will satisfy her.

She’s ready to say good morning to the kind and efficient old lady who works there when she’s startled to see that the old lady has morphed into a young, tall, athletic blond woman, with glasses and a ponytail.  
Cat frowns. Not another hipster millennial who thinks that lukewarm coffee and handpicked coffee beans are the real deal. She can’t deal with this.

She storms to the counter and says, “Who the hell are you? And where is Maggie?”

The girl turns around to look at her, flipping her ponytail in the process. No, she will not be charmed by her perfectly luscious hair that belongs in a shampoo commercial, or by her beautiful puppy blue eyes. No, this woman is a usurper and she will pay for it.

“Um, do you mean Magda?”

Cat narrows her eyes at her. “Don’t get snappy with me, young lady. You either tell me what you have done to Maggie or…”

The young woman stares at her with an amused smile on her lips.

“Or…?”

“Or I will have this place shut down and your house searched from top to bottom until…”

“I’m sorry, Ms… Grant, is that right?”

Cat nods curtly.

“Yes, Ms. Grant, I’m afraid Magda has retired. She has left her business to me. I’m her apprentice!” the girl says cheerfully.

“And I should believe you because?”

The girl shrugs. “I can give you her phone number, if you like. You can check for yourself.”

Cat purses her lips. “Fine, I’ll have my assistant check it out. Before I fire her.”

She snatches the piece of paper the girl is handing to her and says, “Well, I’ve wasted enough of my time already. I need a latte. Hot. Chop chop.”

The girl sighs and gets to work.

When she’s done, she hands Cat the cup with a genuine smile.

“Here you go, Ms. Grant. Just how you like it.”

“Hm. We’ll see.” She takes a sip and she smiles. Yes. Everything is good again in the world.

“This is not completely awful,” she says.

The girl looks smug.

“Well, thank you…” Cat looks at her expectantly.

“Oh. It’s Kara.”

“Right. See you later, Kiera.”

 

ooo

 

On Tuesday Cat Grant doesn’t trust the freshly hired assistant to procure her an adequate latte to face the day, so she gets it herself again.

Kara wipes her hands on her apron hastily when she sees her, pushes strands of stray hair behind her ears.

“I see you haven’t destroyed the place yet,” she says to Kara.

“Um, no!  How would I even destroy...I could never-- I mean-- Oh, wait. You’re joking, right? Ha ha ha, you were joking!” Kara says, adjusting her glasses. “You don’t really think I could-- because I couldn’t...”

“Okay, enough. The mumbling and fumbling is cute the first five seconds, then it gets annoying.”

“Right, um, sorry,” Kara blushes, while she tries to compose herself. “So! Good morning, Ms. Grant! How are you today?”

“In need of a strong coffee.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

Cat lets herself sit for a minute on the stool by the bar while she sips her steaming hot latte brewed to perfection.

“Hmm,” she moans, looking at Kara, who visibly turns a lovely shade of pink. “I should hire you to be my assistant, Kiera. I bet you could do a better job than those numpties I keep getting stuck with.”

Kara laughs nervously. “I doubt that. Sounds like a very demanding job.”

Cat raises an eyebrow. “Does it? What makes you think that?”

Kara makes some unintelligible noises trying to form words, but Cat takes pity on her.

“Kiera, honey, I’m teasing. Everyone knows I’m demanding. It goes without saying that being my assistant wouldn’t be the easiest job in the world. But I have a hard time believing there isn’t anyone out there who can handle it without making a complete mess of it.”

Cat taps her perfectly manicured fingers on her cup. “Are you sure you don’t want to give it a go? I have a free slot at 10.15…”

“I’m flattered Ms. Grant, but really, I’m happy where I am right now, thanks.”

Cat shrugs. “Suit yourself.” She grabs her coffee, leaves the money on the counter and hops off her stool.

“See you tomorrow?” asks Kara and Cat would swear she hears a hint of hope in her voice.

“Yes, probably. I still don’t trust my assistant with my latte. It’s too important."

Kara smiles at her and Cat has to look away because she didn’t just feel a flutter in her chest. That’s the coffee for sure. It’s some damn good coffee. It has nothing to do with the way Kara’s eyes shine when they look at her, or how good her hair smells when she flips it (and how did she even notice that?) or how her beautifully shaped arms flex when she prepares her coffee. No, nothing at all.

Cat shakes her head and prepares herself for another day at the office. At least her coffee is not going to be on the list of unsatisfying things of her day. Thanks to Kara. Oh, dear God. She hides her smile in her cup and leaves.

 

ooo

 

On Wednesday she doesn’t have time to stop by the café, so she has to ask her assistant (Ella? Emma? Elena? Whatever) to get it for her, expressly requesting the coffee from Kara’s kiosk. It’s cold when it gets to her, but she can still taste the unmistakable flavor of the blend Kara uses for her, so she knows her assistant didn’t screw up completely. Still, it’s cold. And it wasn’t hand-delivered to her by Kara. So there’s something missing in her day from the start. Plus, the layouts for the next issue of CatCo magazine are late and when they get to her they’re incomplete and out of order. Then she has to cancel a board meeting because her mother, of all people, storms in, complaining about some article she has written about a noble prize winner, friends of hers, that apparently has upset said friend or it’s not up to her mother’s standards, Cat can’t bring herself to care which it is, and on top of that, her stash of M&Ms has run out and it hasn’t been replenished and it’s all she can do to not scream insults at her assistant. By the end of the day she’s so frustrated, she doesn’t even have the energy to fire anyone.

When she finally gets out of there, she heads straight to the park. She doesn't even want a coffee. She tries really hard not to think about what she really wants. All she knows is that she needs to sit down somewhere quiet and she needs to vent to someone who will listen and nod, someone who is not on her payroll, and possibly someone who looks like Kara.

“Thank God you’re still open,” she groans, slumping on the stool and taking her sunglasses off.

“Ms. Grant! I did not expect to see you today,” says Kara who looks genuinely happy to see her.

“Me neither. But believe me, after the day I’ve had, you’d need to come here too.”

“I met your assistant. She seems…”

“Inept?”

“Nervous.”

“Ha! She should be,” Cat says, pointing her finger at her.

“So, what can I get you?”

“Ugh, I don’t know. Surprise me.”

Kara smirks and turns around, opens a cupboard and takes out a big jar.

“I know exactly what you need,” says Kara and then pushes a bowl full of M&Ms to her.

Cat has to repress a gasp. “You, my dear, are the perfect woman.”

Kara beams at her while Cat starts munching on her favorite candies.

“How in the hell did you know what I needed?”

“Let’s call it my sixth sense.”

“Your sixth sense tells you what kind of candies I like?”

“And when you need them, yes,” says Kara. “Also, you’re the most famous woman in National City. I think everyone knows what kind of candies you eat. I think we even know what color your bed sheets are.”

Cat widens her eyes.

“I mean, not that it’s any of my business.”

“No. But you have a point. Still, you are a lot more perceptive than my assistant, who left me without M&Ms today. I don’t know why I haven’t fired her yet.”

Cat puts her chin on her hand and stares at Kara.

“You know, Kiera… I’ve thought this before but…,” she shakes her head. “There’s something about you. I can’t put my finger on it.”

Kara gulps under her stare.

“What?”

“It’s just… you look awfully familiar.”

“I do?”

“Hmm,” Cat nods. “It’s like I’ve seen you before.”

Kara leans her elbows on the counter, looks her in the eyes and says, “In your dreams, maybe?”

Cat is stunned for a second. She puts her hand on her chest and says, “Oh my, Kiera, are you flirting with me?”

“Seems like I am,” says Kara, biting her bottom lip.

“Wow, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Kara laughs and adjusts her glasses, seemingly returning to her usual self.

“Anyway, I think you need something to go with those M&Ms. I have just the thing. Do you like mint, Ms. Grant?”

Cat just hums a yes, still stunned and intrigued by this new side of Kara to think of anything else.

Kara does her barista thing and returns with a glass full of a cold green liquid, with a straw in it.

“It’s my latest creation. I like to experiment.”

Cat puts the straw in her mouth and looks at Kara. “Do you, now?”

Kara flushes for a second, but continues, apparently determined to keep her cool image of consummate flirter she has gained today.

“Yes. This is made with organic almond milk, crushed cardamom seeds and mint syrup.”

Cat tastes it. It’s delicious. Is there anything this wondrous girl can’t do?

She enjoys her minty almond milk slowly, reveling in the peace and quiet of the place, the cool afternoon breeze, the birds chirping, the dogs and children playing in the distance, Kara looking at her with her sweet, sunshine-y smile that makes her heart beat a little faster anytime they make eye contact.  
She’s lucky her charming barista can’t hear the sudden changes in her heartbeat… although, it’s funny how anytime this happens, somehow Kara’s smiles turn bigger as if she somehow senses it.

“So?” The object of her daydreaming interrupts Cat from her reverie.

“Huh?”

“Do you like it?”

“Hmm, yes. Definitely a winner.”

They smile at each other until Cat tells herself she’s done behaving like a teenager in love and stands up.

“Right. Thank you for taking care of my sugary needs, Kiera. I need to go home now and cook my son his dinner.”

“Of course. Carter, right?”

Cat stops in her tracks. “Yes,” she says slowly, looking suspicious.

“Ah-ah, I mean, he’s mentioned sometimes in the papers…” Kara stummers.

“Well, seeing you’re so informed about me, Kiera, I’ll have to find different ways to surprise you, then.” She puts her sunglasses’ arm in her mouth and smirks.

Oh, God, why does everything that comes out of her mouth in front of this girl has to sound like flirting? But her jabs seem to always have the effect she wants, maybe that’s why she keeps doing it.

While Kara is busy trying to stop blushing, Cat’s face softens. “Yes. His name is Carter and he’s the light of my life. Maybe you’ll meet him one of these days.”

“This weekend?” Kara asks.

“Possibly,” says Cat.

And it’s most definitely _not_ a date she has maybe agreed to, but it sure as hell feels like one.

 

ooo

 

On Thursday she rings her assistant from her car because she doesn’t have time to stop by the café this morning either. She hates having to change her routine, even if said routine only started two days ago.  And she knows Kara will be disappointed, but it’s not like she’s under any obligation. Still, she misses her, which is the worst part. Her assistant hands her a cup as soon as she steps out of the elevator, but she immediately recoils from it.

“What is that?” she asks disgusted.

“It’s your latte, Ms. Grant. I… I’m sorry but the café in the park was closed this morning. I had to go to Noonan’s.”

“Closed? What do you mean ‘closed’? That’s impossible. Why would it be closed?”

“I have no idea, Ms. Grant, I’m sorry.”

“That’s unacceptable. Find out what happened to Kiera. I mean, find out why the café is closed and report back to me immediately.”

“Um, could it be her day off?”

Cat turns sharply at her assistant. “Did. I. Stutter?”

“N—no Ms. Grant. I’ll get onto that right away.”

Her day does not get any better. In fact, it gets worse. Not only is her assistant unable to get any news on her favorite barista. Supergirl is also missing. Which is a much bigger problem for the whole city, not just for her. There is a massive car crash on the motorway and Cat’s protégée superhero is nowhere to be seen. Okay, maybe she’s busy saving the city somewhere else, thinks Cat.  
But when there’s a big fire at a primary school and still no sign of Supergirl, Cat begins to seriously worry. She’s not prepared to lose Supergirl and Kara all on the same day.

 

ooo

 

On Friday, she stops personally at the park to check on Kara. The kiosk is still closed. She refuses to worry more than she already does, so she decides to get angry instead. How dare she close the café without warning her? How dare she leave her without her coffee fix? Without her smile to brighten her day? Who gave her the right to disappear from Cat’s life without even a day’s notice? By the time she gets to the office she’s worked up so much anger that she’s fuming. She snatches her second-grade latte from her assistant’s hands without a word and storms into her office. She calls a staff meeting and says, “Tell me Supergirl has miraculously reappeared in the five minutes I wasn’t checking my phone.”

The looks on her employees’ faces tell her everything she needs to know. She kicks everyone out and slumps in her chair, literally sulking. But she knows she can’t sulk in her office all day. She has to do something. It’s one thing if her barista is missing, but Supergirl can’t afford to take days off. Her city needs her. She needs her. And she’s never disappeared before. If Supergirl is not around to inspire people and to restore hope to the city, then it’s up to her to step in. She calls her computer droid to help her record a message. A message that she would have liked to hear herself in times of fear and hopelessness. She believes in Supergirl, she always has. But now the people need to believe they can be their own hero, that even alone, they can achieve greatness and be proud of who they are just by being the best they can be. She does what she needs to do, to keep the city together, until hopefully, her golden girl is back.

Later that day, Supergirl visits her. She finds her hovering outside her balcony, and she doesn’t know if she wants to hug her or punch her. She can’t do either so she settles for reprimanding her. But when Supergirl tells her her speech has inspired her, all her worry and anger and fear disappear in an instant. Supergirl is back and all is well in the world again.

 

ooo

 

On Saturday she gets up early and heads to the park. Somehow she is sure she will find Kara there. She doesn’t know exactly why, but she _knows_ it. This doesn’t stop her from holding her breath until she sees the little café open from afar. Then she lets herself relax, until she gets there. There’s a small line at the counter, Kara is busy serving the weekend crowd and doesn’t immediately see her. So Cat has the time to look at her, make sure she’s alright - no signs of injury or illness -  and conjure up the anger she’s been storing inside her since Kara disappeared. But she _can’t_ be angry. She has no right to be. Despite her gut reaction, Kara doesn’t owe her anything, not even an explanation. She is free to close up shop, go on vacation for a month, even sell the place, without having to tell Cat first. She knows that. And yet, her guts don’t agree. Her guts want to yell at Kara for keeping her up at night, for making her miss her, for forcing her to realize that in less than a week she’s become… what? Indispensable? Irreplaceable? That’s too much, she can’t afford to even think that, let alone say it. She has to reign in her emotional response. But she still thinks Kara needs to know her absence meant something to her.

She joins the line, as if she was just another customer, and crosses her arms. She doesn’t want to make a scene, won’t make a scene. Oh, she’d _love_ to make a scene, she’s brilliant at those. And it would really make her feel better. But it wouldn’t be fair, it would be out of line, it would embarrass her, more than anything. Still. Still! The line moves too slowly for her brain, and by the time she gets to the top, she’s gone over a hundred different reactions she should have, and hasn’t settled on any of them. Then it’s her turn and she looks at Kara. And Kara looks at her. And thinks that she feels like hugging her and punching her at the same time. Just like with... And then it strikes her. Oh God, how could she have been so blind and not seen it before? Just take out the glasses, untie her hair and… it’s _her_.

“It’s you,” she says calmly to Kara, her voice low and menacing.

Kara looks at her, and her welcoming smile dies quickly on her lips.

“Ms. Grant?”

“I mean, where the hell have _you_ been? I was worried sick!” she exclaims. So much for not making a scene.

“Ah-Ah—I’m sorry Ms. Grant, I didn’t mean to scare you. I just got sick, is all. And I can’t afford to hire anyone else to replace me so…”

Cat purses her lips and frowns, trying to make sense of everything in her head. She can’t scream what she knows now. And this new realization is so fresh in her head that, mixed with all the other confusing feelings she’s having for this girl, it doesn’t let her process any coherent or reasonable thought.

All she comes up with on the spot is, “You could have at least let me know you were okay.”

Kara blinks. Looks at her for a long moment, obviously lost for words.

“I didn’t think you’d care,” she says finally, shaking her head.

“Well, I do,” she surprises herself by saying.

She’s breathing hard, trying to contain the anger that, she repeats to herself, she has no right to feel. Except it’s not exactly anger. It’s hurt. It’s disappointment, in herself and in Kara, for not realizing she’s important enough to have carved a space in her heart in such a short time. And if she’s right and this girl really _is_ Supergirl, shouldn’t she be able to hear her heart, shouldn’t she be able to read her better than anyone else? And she knows she can. Now that she thinks about it, Kara has always been suspiciously perceptive to her emotions. And yet, she didn’t think Cat would care.

Kara’s face softens, stops what she’s doing and gets closer to her.

Cat is looking away, pursing her lips, her arms crossed, not trusting herself to look at Kara.

Kara tentatively puts a hand on her wrist from across the counter and Cat turns to look at her. Her fingers feel cold on her skin, and she feels goosebumps forming all along her arm.

She sees Kara giving her the most tender smile yet, but her eyes remain serious. “I’m sorry, Cat.” She squeezes her hand and wraps it around her wrist. “I never meant to scare you.”

Kara’s hand slowly slides down and her fingers find Cat’s. She tugs at them and Cat lets her hand be pulled towards Kara, their now tangled hands resting on the counter. They don’t say anything for a while, they just stare at their entwined fingers, until a lady behind Cat says loudly, “Yes, darlings, this is all very touchin’ and romantic an’ all, but I would like to get my coffee before the end of the day?”

They both pull away their hand quickly, Cat clears her throat nervously and Kara adjusts her glasses. Cat just stands there, unsure what to do now, because she hasn’t ordered a coffee yet and she’s run out of things to say.

Kara turns away without a word and starts working at the coffee machine. A minute later she comes back and hands her a cup.

“It’s on me, Ms. Grant. For the trouble I caused you.”

“Thank you… Kara.”

And Cat hates herself for showing her vulnerable side to Kara so openly, but she also feels a strange kind of buzz from their brief hand-holding moment, and if she had felt like a teenager with a crush before, now she’s in full adolescent mode, and for some reason, she can’t care less.

She steps aside and lets Kara work, while she sips her coffee. She could probably stand there all day just watching Kara doing her thing, basking in the reassuring feeling that she’s safe and that she’s here, and that if the world needs her, she can just don her cape and go be a hero. It should feel unsettling, knowing that she could happily watch this girl all day and not be tired of it, but it doesn’t. It feels warm and cozy and Cat doesn’t want to spoil it with rational thoughts of how it would never work between them, how the age difference wouldn’t seem so scary if she had been a man, how dating Supergirl in disguise would be beyond complicated and awkward. She doesn’t let her mind wonder, because she knows that, at least right now, in this exact perfect moment, she doesn’t need to.

When Kara has finished serving the rest of the line, Cat steps close to her again.

“I should go. I promised my son I would play a round of Settlers of Catan with him.”

“Oh I love that game!” says Kara lighting up.

Cat raises her eyebrow and smirks. “Well, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You are the perfect woman.”

Kara blushes and Cat is very pleased with herself. She should keep score.

“So, will I see you tomorrow?” asks Kara. “You know, there’s going to be a carnival here in the park in the afternoon. We could… I mean, if you want to, I could close early and…”

“A carnival.”

“Yes. You know, with the ferris wheel and the cotton candy and the rollercoaster?”

Cat pretends she’s hesitating. Plays the part of the cool CEO, as if she hasn’t said yes a thousand times in her head already.

“It’d be fun,” Kara says.

“Sure, okay. I’ll bring Carter too, I know he’d love it.”

“Awesome. So, say, at five?”

“Five it is. But I am not going on the rollercoaster.”

Kara laughs. “We’ll see.”

 

ooo

 

Carter can’t wait to get out of the house on Sunday so even though she was planning on not showing up at exactly five, they end up being at the café at quarter to five and hovering around the kiosk, waiting for Kara to finish up. Kara waves at them, but she’s busy with customers until closing time, and Cat thinks she should probably feel guilty that Kara has to send people away to go with her on… no, it’s not a date, because Carter is with them, but still. It was her choice so it can’t be that much of a problem.

At five Kara finally closes the café and heads towards them. She has let her hair down and has curled it a little a bit, and it’s silly to think about it now, but it’s the first time that she’s seen Kara outside the café, if you don’t count Supergirl. Which she doesn’t. Not yet, anyway, and probably not ever since she doesn’t plan on confronting Kara about it. She wants to make sure her secret stays safe with her.

Kara is wearing really tight jeans, a simple black tank top and an open flannel button down shirt, and damn does she look good.

“Wow, she is almost as pretty as Supergirl. Way to go, mom!” Carter says, elbowing her.

Cat narrows her eyes at him. “Stop it right now.”

“But mom, you should be proud. Look at your date! I mean, hot damn.”

“Language, Carter. And she is not my date.”

Carter rolls his eyes. “Whatever. Is that why you’ve been to the hairdresser at the last minute yesterday and you’ve spent almost two hours in the bathroom before going out and you couldn’t decide on the right necklace to go with the right shirt and you’ve even asked _me_ for advice?”

“You have a good eye,” Cat shrugs, ignoring the rest of the comments. “Anyway, shut up now, she’s coming.”

“Hi guys!” says Kara with her widest smile, waving at them.

Carter stiffens all of a sudden and becomes his usual awkward self in front of strangers.

Kara holds out a hand to him and he takes it. “Nice to meet you, I’m Kara.”

“Hi. I’m Carter,” he says, barely looking at her.

“So, how did your Settlers of Catan game go yesterday?” asks Kara.

Carter looks up surprised. “Oh. Good, thanks. Mom won. As usual.”

“Nah, that’s not true. Sometimes I let you win,” says Cat.

“Yes, very funny.”

“Well, hi to you,” says Kara to Cat and without warning she leans over and kisses her on the cheek. Cat tries to pretend this is business as usual, but her heartbeat betrays her and now she _knows_ that Kara has noticed, she can see it in her eyes.

“Hi. You look nice.”

Kara pushes her hair behind her ear. “Thanks, so do you.”

“So…”

“So…”

“Hey, can we go to the carnival now?” says Carter, and they both sigh in relief, because it was starting to get awkward there. Thank God for Carter.

They get to the Carnival and there’s so much to do they don’t know where to start.

“Mom, mom! Can I go on that one?” says Carter pointing at the Zero Gravity ride.

“Um. Sure. If you promise not to die.”

“Ha. Ha. I promise.”

“OK.” Cat gives him the money for the ride and they watch him joining the line.

“Hey, would you like me to win you a teddy bear?” says Kara all of a sudden.

Cat smirks. “Not particularly?”

“Ah come on, it’s fun.” There’s one of those crossbow shoots right behind them and Kara grabs Cat’s arm and pulls her. She lets herself be pulled toward the stand, because that’s why she’s here after all.

“One crossbow please!” shouts Kara, practically bouncing with excitement. When she gets her crossbow, Kara asks, “So, which one do you want? The big fluffly pink one?”

Cat laughs and just shakes her head.

“Alright then, you’re getting that one, m’lady.” She aims and shoots and of course it’s a bullseye and she wins the big damn pink teddy bear.

Cat smiles and wrinkles her nose when the guy hands it to her. It is really fluffy. “How are we even going to carry it now? We only just got here.”

So Kara asks the crossbow shoot guy if he wouldn’t mind keeping it for them while they walk around and he says sure, so they keep going.

“I can’t believe you won that teddy bear,” Cat says.

“Admit it, you love it,” says Kara slipping her arm through Cat’s elbow as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Cat laughs again. “I kinda do, actually.”

They go get Carter who is standing at the Zero Gravity ticket stand, looking disheveled and happy.

“Good ride?” asks Kara.

“Savage!”

“So, um, good?”

“Yes, totally, you should try it.”

“Maybe another time…”

Carter notices that Kara’s arm is still linked to Cat’s and he winks at her when they make eye contact. He even gives her the thumb up when Kara is not looking.  

“So what now?” he says, right before passing the High Striker. “Yes! Let’s have a go at this one. I bet you’re really good, Kara.”

Obviously the excitement of the carnival has made Carter forget he’s shy, because he seems completely at ease with Kara and the whole situation and it warms Cat’s heart. And now he has challenged Supergirl to the High Striker and he has no idea what he’s getting himself into.

“What makes you say that?” Kara asks nervously.

“I don’t know. You have really good arms?”

Kara looks at her arms and frowns. “I suppose.”

“Come on, I challenge you,” Carter says.

And Kara says, “You’re on, little boy.” She takes her arm off Cat’s elbow, leaving Cat to contemplate the sudden unpleasant feeling of loss - and her own contempt for such ridiculous feelings - and pulls up her sleeves.

“OK, you go first,” she says. Carter puts a coin inside the machine and grabs the hammer. He hits the target with all his might and the puck almost hits the bell.

“80!” shouts Carter.

“That’s pretty good, honey,” says Cat.

“Now your turn, Kara,” says Carter handing her the hammer. Cat wishes she could talk her out of it, or at least warn her to go easy on the thing, but after all, Kara is a grown up, and she should be used to restraining her strength by now, shouldn’t she?

“Right, here we go,” says Kara, swinging the hammer effortlessly over her head.

She squeezes her eyes shut, holding the hammer really tight and holds her breath, no doubt in the effort not to disintegrate the machine, Cat thinks. And then releases the hammer relatively slowly onto the target. As soon as the hammer hits it, the puck springs up, hits the bell so loud their ears start ringing, and then keeps going up and down, hitting the bell again and again until the owner comes out and shouts “What the hell have you done? Did you break it?”

Kara puts the hammer down and starts apologizing. “I’m so sorry, it must be faulty, I didn’t even touch it that hard!”

The man puts his hands in his hair and starts shouting profanities at her, until Cat grabs her arm and pulls her away. “Let’s get the hell away from here right now. Come on, Carter.”

“Oh man, that was wicked cool! How did you do it?”

“I—it wasn’t me. It must have been faulty,” says Kara trying to look as innocent as possible.

Cat didn’t need a confirmation of her suspicions but she feels quite smug she has one anyway. She wants to yell at her, or at least take her aside and ask her what the hell she was thinking. But she’s decided not to bring up the subject for now. She doesn’t want this outing to become awkward. It’s perfect the way it is. And as long as they stay away from the High Striker, they should be fine.

Carter ends up wanting to go on basically everything so they follow him and watch him go on the Banana Slide, the Pirate Ship and the Mega Swings. He always invites them to go along with him, Cat always says no and tells Kara she should go if she wants to, but Kara seems to prefer to hold her arm instead, which is perfectly fine with Cat, so they just watch him side by side.

At some point Kara sees a fishing pond game and takes Cat’s hands to bring her there. It turns out she doesn’t want to play, she just wants to look at the fish. Cat’s not crazy about them, but Kara is holding her hand and her face is all lit up with joy so she doesn’t complain. And when they go back to Carter’s ride, Kara doesn’t let go of Cat and so they keep holding hands as if they’ve been doing it all their lives. She’s vaguely worried that some paparazzi might catch her there, but really, can’t she just relax for one single day and not worry about her status as Queen of All Media? So she allows herself this perhaps dangerous treat that might backfire, because it feels right and normal and she just really really wants it.

She’s brought back from her thoughts when Kara starts rubbing her thumb on the back of her hand and she wills her heart to stay calm, but it’s hard. Because her knees are weak and she feels like melting  and she needs to sit down for a bit.

“How do you feel about ferris wheels,” she asks Kara.

“I love them,” she says.

“Great, so let’s wait for Carter and then we go, what do you say?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Carter joins them soon after, only to run away again to another ride, because he’s seen some friends from school who have invited him to hang out with them and that’s an event in itself, so Cat can only say yes to that, and off he goes.

“So, that’s just the two of us,” she says.

“Yes,” Kara smiles. “Wanna grab some ice cream before we go?”

“Sure.”

The sun is starting to set now and the sky is a lovely shade of pink and orange. They’ll have a wonderful view from the wheel, Cat thinks. And then mentally rolls her eyes at herself for that piece of cheesy sentimentality.  

They find an ice cream cart that only sells three flavors – vanilla, chocolate and strawberry -  so they grab two cones with three scoops of each flavors and they eat them as they walk.  One hand holding the ice cream and the other holding the other’s hand.

“This is, like, the perfect date,” says Kara.

Cat is so startled by that statement that she trips on her feet and dips her nose in her ice cream in the process. She swears under her breath and wipes her nose with the back of her hand.

Kara looks at her and laughs. “Aw, look. It’s all over your face,” she says and stops. “Here, let me.”

She releases the hand from hers and brings it up to Cat’s face, using her thumb to gently wipe her cheek. She cups her jaw and slowly rubs her thumb, removing as much ice cream as she can.

They’ve stopped talking now. Kara is not even looking at her cheek anymore. She’s looking right into her eyes and Cat feels the heat rising on her face and she knows Kara can feel that even without superpowers and they’re barely inches away, so close Cat can smell Kara’s breath and it’s fresh and warm at the same time and how is that even possible? And then Kara removes her thumb and sticks it into her own mouth and licks the ice cream away while staring at her the whole time and where has all the air gone? Cat doesn’t know, she’s sure she’s forgotten how to breathe. And now Kara stops licking her thumb but somehow Cat can’t stop staring at Kara’s lips. They’re still so excruciatingly close that Cat sways a little and that’s when Kara raises her hand again but this time she puts it behind Cat’s head and steadies her. She dips her fingers in Cat’s hair and pulls her close, so close Kara can breathe into Cat’s mouth, but she stops there, looks at her, and Cat knows she’s asking for permission. She’s giving Cat time to pull away if she wants to, but there’s nothing in this world with the power to pull Cat away from Kara’s grip now and so she lets herself fall towards those lips and Kara meets her midway. They both sigh into the kiss. They close their eyes and Cat wraps her free arm around Kara’s neck, pulling her even closer, if that’s possible. Kara’s lips are so soft and so deliciously cold and sweet, she never wants to leave them. She wishes she could throw away her ice cream and put her other hand to better use, but they’re in public, there are children around, and so they keep their first kiss chaste, although it’s the hottest chaste kiss she’s ever had. They pull apart, enough to release their lips but not much else. They stay wrapped around each other, grinning like a pair of fools, unwilling to let the moment go. Until they realize something.

“I think my ice cream is melting in my hand,” says Kara.

Cat laughs. “Mine too.”

Neither of them want to throw them out, really, so they eat them quickly. Then they find a fountain to rinse their sticky hands.

“So,” says Kara, rubbing her hands on her jeans to dry them. “Ferris wheel?”

Cat nods and takes her hand.

“You were right, by the way,” she says.

“About what?”

“It _is_ the perfect date.”

 


End file.
